2002 Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon Benchland Select

Even at age ten, the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Benchland Select (86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Malbec) is reserved, displaying a deep ruby/purple color along with hints of plums, sweet espresso roast, subtle toast/smoky new oak and a darker black currant note. Medium-bodied and elegant, with sweet tannin, copious layers, and a long, intense finish, it tastes more like a 3- to 5-year-old Napa Cabernet rather than one that’s a decade old. It should improve over the next ten years and last for 30 years. Two contrasting styles from Cakebread Cellars, the Benchland Select possesses 14.1% alcohol and the Dancing Bear Ranch came in at 14.4%. The latter wine is clearly riper, even though it is from a cooler, high elevation vineyard on Howell Mountain. Tel. (800) 588-0298; Fax (707) 967-8620